PHILADELPHIA – After an unruly start in Philadelphia, the second day of the Democratic National Convention aimed to unify Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders supporters.
The first night’s proposition of being “stronger together” was tested during the roll-call vote that formally bestowed the Democratic nomination upon Clinton. The historic roll-call officially made Clinton the first female presidential nominee of a major U.S. political party. At the end of the vote, Sanders himself moved to select her as the nominee.
After the nomination was conferred, some of Sanders’ supporters left the convention floor and voiced their grievances about Clinton and the Democratic National Committee to the press. Inside of the Wells Fargo Center, however, cheers erupted.
Clinton addressed the convention via satellite from New York and insisted that her victory truly belonged to her supporters.
“If there are any little girls out there who stayed up late to watch let me just say I may become the first woman president,” she said. “But one of you is next.”
Several lawmakers and public figures took the stage later in the evening to discuss Clinton’s record on families and children.
In the “Mothers of the Movement” presentation, family members of black Americans who died as a result of gun violence or during police-involved incidents spoke about their losses.
“Hillary knows that when a young black life is cut short, it’s not just a personal loss,” said Geneva Reed-Veal, the mother of Sandra Bland. ”It is a national loss. It is a loss that diminishes all of us.”
Jordan Davis’ mother, Lucia McBath said Clinton was equipped to take on criminal justice reform and limit the number of “heartbroken mothers.”
“The majority of police officers are good people doing a good job,” McBath told the audience. “And we’re also going to keep using our voices and our votes to support leaders like Hillary Clinton, who will help us protect one another so that this club of heartbroken mothers stops growing.”
Former President Bill Clinton also addressed the crowd and made a personal case for his wife. He spoke about their relationship, as well as her achievements as a lawyer and in the public service. The 42nd president called on the crowd to see her “real” version rather than the “cartoon alternative.”
“Cartoons are two-dimensional, they’re easy to absorb,” he said. “Life in the real world is complicated and real change is hard and a lot of people even think it’s boring. Good for you because earlier today you nominated the real one.”
These photographs were shot on assignment by photographer Mark Peterson for MSNBC Photography as part of his on-going body of work “Political Theatre” which examines the landscape of the American political system.
For more feature photography, go to msnbc.com/photography
